Prince George's family launches safety campaign after son's fatal motorcycle crash

A Prince George’s County family has turned the death of Donnell Floyd Jr. into a push for safer roads, launching a foundation and a scholarship gala as they press riders and drivers to share the road more carefully in Cheverly and beyond.

Police said Floyd, 40, of Clinton, died after a crash at about 1 p.m. Sept. 10, 2024, at Landover Road and Cheverly Avenue. The collision involved a motorcycle and an SUV. The SUV driver stayed at the scene and was not injured, according to Prince George’s County Police.

Floyd’s parents created the D-Torch Foundation in his memory, using the nickname Torch that he carried in the motorcycle community. The foundation says it was built to honor Donnell G. Floyd Jr., who died on Sept. 10, 2024, and its mission includes empowering scholars and riders. What began as a family loss has become a campaign that reaches into two of the hardest parts of traffic violence: how to prevent the next crash and how to help families live with the aftermath of the one that already happened.

The family has been traveling across Maryland to talk about motorcycle safety and the mental toll that fatal crashes leave behind, especially for people tied to the riding community. His mother has described him as someone who showed up for everything, while his father remembered his love of sports, movies and music. The foundation’s work now extends beyond remembrance, tying grief support to public safety messaging in a county where one fatal crash can quickly become a wider community concern.

The group’s first Scholarship Fundraiser Gala is set for May 16 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Eloquent Touch Ballroom, 3914 Bexley Pl. in Hillcrest Heights. Proceeds are intended to support children of fallen riders and expand the foundation’s safety and family-support efforts.

The broader stakes remain stark. Prince George’s County Police define a fatal accident as a collision that causes a death within 30 days of the crash. Maryland State Police say their crash data dashboard tracks crashes from 2024 through the present, while Maryland’s Zero Deaths dashboard reported 133 roadway fatalities year-to-date in 2026 as of May 10. Nationally, NHTSA estimated 39,345 traffic fatalities in 2024, with fatalities down in 35 states and Puerto Rico but up in 14 states and the District of Columbia compared with 2023.